Senator Trostorff Senator Lauren Trostorff
State of Illinois
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About Me: My name is Lauren Trostorff and I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. I attended Harvard University where I received my degree in political science. I have most recently become a senator and have been for the past eight years. An issue that has been brought to my attention is food safety, and with all of the recent recalls and scares, the issue has become that much more pertinent to me.



This pertinent bill on food safety, concerning the overall safety of our nation, failed to make the senate floor. I will continue the fight for it in way of amending it to another bill.



The Senate
1st Session


S.

A bill to revise food safety by means of provision and resources.

IN THE MCGEHEE CONGRESS
April, 2009


Sponsored by Senator Trostorff of Illinois
Co-Sponsored by Senator Spangenberg of California, Senator Ray of Connecticut, Senator Chambers of Nevada, Senator Proze of Massachusetts

A Bill

A bill to revise food safety by means of provision and resources.



Be it enacted by the Members of the McG Congress
of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. The Revolution of Protected Food
This Act may be cited as the “The Revolution of Protected Food”

SECTION 2. FINDINGS
  1. Every year food borne illnesses afflict approximately 76 million people
    1. This sums up to 1 in 4 Americans affected after eating contaminated food
  2. Annually, 325,000 people are hospitalized from food poisoning and of those 5,000 die
  3. Annually, money lost in result of these illnesses ranges from 6.5-34.9 billion dollars
    1. This figure includes lost salary and productivity
  4. Virtually 13.8 food poisonings are caused by identified agents
    1. 30% bacteria
    2. 67% viruses
    3. 3% parasites
  5. An estimated 1.4 million cases of salmonella occur every year in the U.S.
    1. In which 95% of them are food borne
    2. 31% of all food associated deaths each year are caused by salmonella
  6. Raw fruits and vegetables have been found to be the cause of contamination during slicing and by food-handlers who did not abide by proper hygienic standards
  7. Food-borne contamination of shigella comes from contamination from food-workers and contamination during processing
  8. So far in this month of April, the FDA has reported a total of food 116 recalls
  9. The number of employees at the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition has sunk from 910 in fiscal year 2004 down to 782 in fiscal year 2007

SECTION 3: PURPOSE
  1. To enhance the provisions to eliminate food safety hazards
    1. Creating and enforcing stronger standards, inspections, and surveillance
i. Create and enforce an inspection program(s) to be reviewed and revised by the FDA
    1. Creating and enforcing stronger food safety guidelines for certain foods
    2. Require food establishments to create organized preventive processes
    3. Perform research on food safety to build off of (enhance) current safety measures
    4. Stipulate imported food to have the same requirements as
  1. Enhance FDA response and defense in the case that an incident occurs
    1. By increasing the traceability and again surveillance of food
i. Making food safety research and data collection a priority
    1. Sustain a DNA system and epidemiological system for food borne illness detection and control in the case of an outbreak
    2. FDA to put in place regulations for specific food companies to prevent contamination
    3. In the case of an emergency terrorist threat of contamination, develop a national strategy to be responded to ASAP
  1. Increase the FDA’s overall resources
    1. For increased funding to the FDA for food safety
i. The current number on the table is 2.4 billion dollars total for the budget of the 2009 fiscal year (October 1, 2008-September 30, 2009)
SECTION 3. ELIGIBILITY.
NA
SECTION 4. TERMS AND BENEFITS OF SERVICE.
  1. 2.4 billion dollar (funding) budget will be used accordingly for the issue at hand
    1. 42.4 million: will be used for food safety and food defense and all stated in the above purposes